Ch#152
Tie trembled without realizing it.
Cold sweat trickled down beneath her uniform.
"Honestly, I was wondering when I'd get to see you."
Her longed-for dad's voice echoed in her ears.
At this moment, dad was just a few steps away.
A distance she could reach in an instant if she ran.
A distance where she could throw her arms around him and bury her face in his chest if she wanted.
"Still the same bland face as ever."
But dad wasn't dad.
His expression was different from what Tie knew, and so was his attire.
Tie took a deep breath.
'Can't cry.'
She kept regulating her breathing, desperately suppressing the tears welling up.
Even so, her hands shook uncontrollably beneath her uniform.
"Were you born without any manners?"
It was an utterly cold voice.
The gaze they met was as frigid as that of a total stranger.
Tie's eyes slowly drooped downward.
Her eyes reddened, and the moment tears finally pooled up uncontrollably—
"Tie."
Lucarion quietly took her hand.
Tie swallowed the icy breath up to her chin and turned her head toward Lucarion.
Lucarion conveyed with his eyes.
'It'll be okay. We expected something like this.'
Her heart pounded.
'...Kkamangi's right.'
Meeting dad didn't mean everything was over.
Tie's plan was only half complete now.
If anything, what came next was even more important.
Tie had finally reconnected the severed bond with her dad.
So from now on, she had to tie a firm knot to keep that fragile thread from unraveling.
Tese tan sneered.
"Cutting off everyone else's livelihood and still managing to look so shameless, Necromancer King."
Tie looked up at her dad.
Dad had his chin slightly raised, lips pressed tight.
An expression like he was furious. But,
'This is a good thing.'
Her plan to cut off dad's livelihood had succeeded, so it really was good.
That's why dad had come all the way here on his own!
Of course….
"Just so we're clear, I have no intention of handing this national request over to you. It was mine from the start anyway."
…there seemed to be a slight side effect.
"Excuse me."
Then, the Sori Association secretary who had been quietly watching stepped forward.
She looked at Tese tan as if he were absurd.
"What do you think you're doing? The delegation is already finalized. What you're doing is a serious crime of interfering with state affairs."
But Tese tan didn't bat an eye. Instead, he smirked and leisurely looked around.
At the end of his gaze stood the Luminen family, a ways off.
His eyebrow twitched faintly, but Tese tan erased the expression as if it had never been.
"Interfering with state affairs? Hilarious. I haven't done anything yet."
The secretary let out an incredulous scoff.
Tese tan slowly surveyed the surroundings, piecing together the situation before him.
'Didn't know it was a joint operation with the Luminen family.'
The national request snatched by Agavert seemed to be a collaborative mission with the Luminen family.
If he'd known that beforehand, he wouldn't have chased them all the way here.
Or he would have contacted the association and cut out the Luminens.
But since he was already here,
'Can't just leave Agavert be.'
If anything, it wasn't just the national request.
Lately, Agavert was choking Trebaga to death.
Stealing their personal request clients.
Sieging every mana stone in the empire as if to blatantly provoke Trebaga.
Tese tan's gaze shifted downward.
'With that clueless face of hers.'
The pitiful childlike expression from Pearl City docks overlapped with the Necromancer King's face.
Why had that expression bothered him back then?
The Necromancer King must have planned all this to mock him.
"The association just needs to answer one thing. Was this mission originally going to be delegated to me or not?"
The flustered secretary glanced back. There stood Ardiana, her appearance concealed by a blue cloak.
In the end, Ardiana stepped forward.
"Why should the association answer you?"
Tese tan curled his lips.
"Wrapped up like a mummy to hide your face—guess you're the Association President? Perfect timing then. I'll make it clear right here."
"…."
"If you don't answer. As of today, Trebaga withdraws from the association."
Ardiana's pupils dilated.
She swallowed dryly beneath her mask.
It was true they hadn't assigned national requests to Trebaga for a while.
But that was only because Trebaga had been operating fine without the association.
Ardiana had established the association to stabilize the unbalanced mercenary market ecosystem.
Only if the market stabilized would more mercenaries participate, ensuring safety for the empire and themselves.
But she hadn't anticipated Trebaga harboring such deep resentment toward her management.
"…We'll connect Trebaga with a good national request soon. Today…."
"Anyone can talk. Easier than actually doing it."
Ardiana was at a loss for words.
Right.
Another reason they hadn't assigned national requests to Trebaga came to mind.
"…Insolent. I've tried to respect you, yet you show no such intention toward me."
Tese tan burst into laughter.
He took a step toward Ardiana.
"We're not in a position to respect each other, are we? You're not my girlfriend or anything."
"…What?"
Ardiana let out a hollow laugh.
She quietly glared at Tese tan.
She didn't like him cracking jokes amid such a serious situation.
And that crude, cocky laugh of his.
'The complete opposite of Agavert's Necromancer King.'
Unlike Tese tan, the Necromancer King was dignified and generous.
Even after learning her identity, he hadn't haggled or threatened her once.
Ardiana sighed, closed her eyes, and opened them.
"…First. As Association President, I won't permit Trebaga's withdrawal. Not yet, while Trebaga remains at the empire's pinnacle."
She deliberately emphasized "not yet," and Tese tan's eyebrow twitched.
Without giving him a chance to reply, Ardiana continued.
"And. Answering your question is no hardship. Was this mission originally slated for Trebaga?"
She smiled beneath her mask.
"Yes, it was. But you were pushed to second in the final meeting."
Silence fell between them.
After some time, Tese tan's crooked laugh pierced the sharp tension.
"Knew it. Pushed to second, huh… So that means there's still a chance?"
The startled Ardiana widened her eyes.
"A chance? What do you…."
"Duel me, Necromancer King."
But Tese tan had already turned away from her.
He now stood squarely before the Necromancer King.
"I'm sick of this. One decisive match. Loser quits the game."
Ardiana hurriedly approached the two.
"Wait, a duel?"
She looked at Tese tan in disbelief, then said to Tie,
"No need to accept. You mustn't!"
Duels were contests from long ago, for knights only.
Why challenge a mage to such a thing?
"He's provoking the leader. And with the condition that the loser quits entirely? It doesn't make sense."
Ardiana glared fiercely at Tese tan.
"Trying to goad the Necromancer King into withdrawing from this request. Sorry, but that will never…."
"You've found me annoying too, haven't you?"
But Tese tan lightly ignored Ardiana.
He was now bent at the waist, staring straight at the Necromancer King.
"This is your chance to get rid of me. If not now, it'll never come again. The duel winner can take anything from the loser. Tempting, isn't it?"
As the situation turned dire, Veil rushed over.
"Kid— no, leader. He's crazy. Don't engage."
"Exactly!"
The other members' faces paled.
But then,
"Okay!"
Tie answered.
Veil grabbed Tie's shoulder in shock.
"H-Hey, leader, what are you doing?"
But Tie stared piercingly at Tese tan as if entranced.
"Let's duel. With Tie."
She added to Tese tan, who wore an intrigued expression.
"But."
"…."
"Loser grants winner anything. …Like old times."
